Door lock

ABSTRACT

A lock for use with a door having a latch which is adapted to be received in a notch located in the door frame can be utilized either as a permanently-installed lock or as a portable lock that can easily be moved to various locations. A planar member is adapted to be disposed between the door frame and the door when the latter is in closed position. A laterally extending tab is disposed at a right angle to the planar member and is adapted to be received in the notch. A pair of slots in the member are mirror images of each other and diverge away from a divider element that lies in a horizontal plane passing through the tab. Each slot is configured to present a plurality of seats for receiving a keeper pin adjacent the door, when the latter is closed, to present a dead bolt lock. By simply turning the member 180* the lock can accommodate either a left or right-hand opening door with the opposite slot being utilized for each position of the member. A housing is normally disposed in the notch of a door frame and is permanently secured to the frame by a pair of fasteners. The planar member has a pair of arms which are adapted to be disposed on either side of the notch and by removing the housing and inserting the fasteners through appropriate openings in the aforementioned arms, the lock apparatus may be permanently mounted on the door frame.

item States Patent [191 Adkinson, Jr.

[ 1 May 8, 1973 DOOR LOCK [76] Inventor:

Parkville, Mo. 64152 [22] Filed: Dec. 13, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 207,478

Primary Examiner-Richard E. Moore Atl0rney-Bradley and Wharton [57]ABSTRACT A lock for use with a door having a latch which is adapted tobe received in a notch located in the door Archie D. Adkison, Jr., R. R.22,

frame can be utilized either as a permanently-installed lock or as aportable lock that can easily be moved to various locations. A planarmember is adapted to be disposed between the door frame and the doorwhen the latter is in closed position. A laterally extending tab isdisposed at a right angle to the planar member and is adapted to bereceived in the notch. A pair of slots in the member are mirror imagesof each other and diverge away from a divider element that lies in ahorizontal plane passing through the tab. Each slot is configured topresent a plurality of seats for receiving a keeper pin adjacent thedoor, when the latter is closed, to present a dead bolt lock. By simplyturning the member 180 the lock can accommodate either a left orright-hand opening door with the opposite slot being utilized for eachposition of the member. A housing is normally disposed in the notch of adoor frame and is permanently secured to the frame by a pair offasteners. The planar member has a pair of arms which are adapted to bedisposed on either side of the notch and by removing the housing andinserting the fasteners through appropriate openings in theaforementioned arms, the lock apparatus may be permanently mounted onthe door frame.

5 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures DOORLOCK This invention relates to doorlocks generally and, more particularly, to apparatus which can betemporarily installed and moved from one location to another to presenta positive dead bolt lock or installed permanently on a door frame topresent such a lock.

While bolt action locks fastened to the outside of a door have long beenknown as the surest way of locking a door from the inside, locks of thistype have not been widely used in modern construction because of theirunattractive appearance. There has, therefore, been a great need for alock having the security advantages of a bolt action lock but which doesnot detract from the appearance of a door on which the lock is located.

Another long recognized need in the field of door locks has been a lockwhich could be easily moved from one location to another for use inhomes and businesses as well as hotels and motels where satisfactorydoor locks are often lacking.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide apparatusfor locking a door which incorporates the positive locking feature of abolt action lock without detracting from the appearance of the door.

Another very important object of this invention is to provide lockapparatus for a door which can be permanently mounted on the door frameto replace the housing that is normally disposed in the notch for thedoor latch.

As a corollary to the above object, one of the aims of the invention is.to provide a lock apparatus which can be temporarily installed on adoor and moved to another location without the need for removing anyfasteners or the like, whereby the lock is completely portable.

It is also one of the aims of my invention to provide lock apparatuswhich can be permanently installed on the door frame and which includesan element that presents a follower surface for the door latch topreclude any possibility of the latch catching on the lock structure.

Still another one of the objectives of the present invention is toprovide a lock apparatus for doors wherein the apparatus can bepermanently installed on the door frame in place of the housing which isnormally disposed in the notch for the door latch and, wherein theapparatus does not project from the door frame any substantial amountbeyond the normal latch housing.

A further objective of this invention is to provide lock apparatus fordoors which can be either permanently installed or completely portableand wherein the apparatus includes a pair of locking slots which aremirror images of each other to permit the apparatus to be utilized oneither right-hand or left-hand opening doors.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a door and door frame withthe lock apparatus of the present invention installed thereon;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the planar member which forms a part of thelock apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view taken from one end of the member shown inFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged elevational view of the planar member which formsa part of the locking apparatus as it would appear permanently installedon the frame of a right-hand opening door;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view through the door and doorframe illustrating the lock apparatus in place;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the manner in whichthe lock apparatus replaces the housing normally found on the doorframe; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the keeper pin which functionsas a dead bolt lock in the apparatus of the invention.

Referring initially to FIGS. 1 and 5, the lock apparatus of the presentinvention is designated generally by the numeral 10 and is showninstalled for use with a door 12 having a latch 14. The latch 14 isnormally received in a notch 16 in a door frame 18 when door 12 isclosed. The door frame 18 includes a door jamb 20 against which door 12is disposed when closed and a strip of molding 22 on the inside of thedoor frame for aesthetic purposes. Latch 14 is normally biased into itsextended position by appropriate spring means (not shown) and is movedto a retracted position within the door by turning of a doorknob 24.

The lock apparatus 10 is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 2-4 andincludes a generally planarmember 26 having a laterally extending tabstructure 28 projecting therefrom at a right angle. The tab structure 28is adapted to be received within notch 16 as clearly illustrated in FIG.5. On either side of tab structure 28 are a pair of arms 30 which lieadjacent notch 16 when the tab structure is disposed within the notch.Each of the elements 30 has an aperture 32 (FIG. 2) therethrough forpurposes to be made clear hereinafter.

A pair of slots 34 and 36 in member 26 are disposed in spacedrelationship to tab structure 28. As best illustrated in FIG. 4, slots34 and 36 are mirror images of each other and lie on opposite sides ofan imaginary horizontal plane which bisects tab structure 28 when thelatter is disposed in notch 16. A divider element 38 separates slots 34and 36 and lies in the aforementioned imaginary horizontal plane. It isto be noted that the slots 34 and 36 diverge away from divider element38 in a broken V configuration with the element 38 intersecting the apexof the broken V. Each of slots 34 and 36 has one edge comprised of aseries of curvilinear lines that present a plurality of seats 40 and 41in each of the slots respectively. In communication with slots 34 and 36adjacent divider element 33 are a pair of generally circular openings 42and 64 which are of a slightly larger diameter than the diameter ofseats 40 and 41.

At the end of planar member 26 which is opposite the tab structure 28 achamfer 46 is disposed in perpendicular relationship to divider element38. Chamfer d6 presents a camming surface for latch 14 which moves thelatch inwardly against the action of its biasing springs to permit thelatch to clear the planar member. To this end, divider element 38 whichis integral with chamfer 46 presents a follower surface that merges intothe camming surface presented by the chamfer so that latch 14 will moveuninterrupted along planar member 26 with no danger of the latchcatching on the edges of slots 34 and 36.

A keeper pin 48 is illustrated in FIG. 7 and is coupled with planarmember 26 by a chain 50 which passes through an appropriate aperture 52in the pin and also extends through a loop 54 (FIG. 2) on the side ofmember 26 which is opposite tab structure 28. Keeper pin 48 comprises anelongated cylinder bolt 56 having a knurled outer surface and a head 58of a slightly smaller diameter than the diameter of bolt 56. Head 58extends outwardly from the end of bolt 56 and the space between the headand the bolt presents a channel 60.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, door frame 18 normally includes a housing 62disposed in notch 16 and having a chamfer 64 which presents a cammingsurface for latch 14. The housing 62 is permanently secured to frame 18by a pair of fasteners such as screws 66. When the lock apparatus of thepresent invention is to be permanently installed on a door frame, screws66 may be removed to free housing 62 and the latter replaced by planarmember 26. Thus, screws 66 can be inserted through apertures 32 topermanently mount member 26 as best illustrated in FIG. 5.

With member 26 permanently installed on the door frame, door 12 may beopened and closed in the usual manner without interference from the lockapparatus. It is to be noted that planar member 26 projects beyond thedoor frame a distance approximately equivalent to the distance whichchamber 64 on housing 62 would normally project, and thus the lockapparatus presents no hazards extending beyond the door frame asubstantial distance. It is also a desirable feature of the inventionthat divider 38 and chamfer 46 cooperate to provide a continuous surfacewhich latch 14 may slide along with no obstruction from the lockapparatus.

Keeper pin 48 is normally chained to member 26 and allowed to hang atthe side of the door frame when lock apparatus 10 is not in use. Whendoor 12 is closed against jamb and it is desired to positively lock thedoor, the head of keeper pin 48 is inserted into the appropriatelower-most opening 42 or 44 and moved into the respective slot 34 or 36with channel 60 in the keeper pin guiding movement of the latter. Thekeeper pin is placed in the appropriate seat adjacent door 12 so thatthe pin is contiguous with the door as best illustrated in FIG. 5.

With pin 48 disposed as illustrated in FIG. 5, cylinder bolt 56 presentsa positive dead bolt lock which cannot be forced or manipulated from theoutside of the door. It is to be understood that the term dead boltrefers to the fact that bolt 48 cannot be removed except by the positiveaction of a person lifting it out of its seat and removing it from theappropriate slot which must be done from the inside of the door. Thefact that head 58 is received on one side of member 26 and the end ofcylinder bolt 56 abuts the opposite side of the member with channel 60actually being received in the appropriate seat, absolutely precludesany form ofjarring or vibrating action from causing the bolt to fallfrom the slot.

It is of course normally desired to have keeper pin 48 disposed in thelowermost slot of member 26 such that any jarring or vibrating actionwill tend to move the pin downwardly against door 12 rather than awayfrom the door as would be the case if the keeper pin were placed in theuppermost slot. Thus, it is desirable to have slots 34 and 36constructed as mirror images of each other so that the lock apparatuscan be used with either righthand or left-hand opening doors by simplyrotating member 26 and always utilizing the lowermost slot.

When lock apparatus 10 is to be temporarily installed and moved from onelocation to another, tab structure 28 is inserted in the opening inhousing 62 which overlies notch 16 and planar member 26 is held in placeuntil door 12 is closed. Keeper pin 48 can then be moved into theappropriate slot as previously explained. Because of the positive deadbolt locking action of the keeper pin, door 12 cannot be opened from theoutside even though member 26 is not permanently secured to the doorframe. Thus, the locking apparatus can be quickly dismantled andutilized at a different location without the need to undo screws such as66 or the like. 1

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that certainvariations in the construction of the lock apparatus 10 can beaccommodated without departing from the present invention. For example,slots 34 and 36 could be disposed in diverging relationship withopenings 42 and 44 located at the distal ends of the slots rather thanthe adjacent ends as shown in the drawing.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Lock apparatus for use with a door having a latch adapted to bereceived in a notch located in the door frame, said apparatuscomprising:

a planar member adapted to be disposed between the door and the frame;structure extending laterally from the planar member and adapted to bereceived in said notch when said member is placed between the frame andthe door,

said member having a pair of slots therein disposed in divergingrelationship to a horizontal plane passing through said structure whenthe latter is received in the notch,

said member including a divider element lying in said horizontal planefor separating said slots one from the other;

each of said slots having at least one edge thereof configured topresent a plurality of seats along the edge of the slot; and

keeper means adapted to be received in one of said slots when saidmember is disposed between the door and the frame with the keeper meansreceived in the seat adjacent the door whereby said keeper meanspresents a dead bolt lock to preclude opening of the door.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein said member includes a chamfergenerally perpendicular to said horizontal plane at the end of themember opposite said structure, said chamfer presenting a cammingsurface for the door latch prior to the latter being received in saidnotch.

3. The invention of claim 2, wherein is included means for permanentlymounting said member on said frame with said structure disposed in saidnotch.

4. The invention of claim 3, wherein each of said slots is a mirrorimage of the other slot whereby the apparatus can be utilized witheither right or left-hand opening doors by rotating said member 180 andplacing said keeper means in the opposite slot.

of said notch, with an opening in each arm for placement of one of saidfasteners, whereby said housing can be removed and replaced with saidmember mounted on said frame.

1. Lock apparatus for use with a door having a latch adapted to bereceived in a notch located in the door frame, said apparatuscomprising: a planar member adapted to be disposed between the door andthe frame; structure extending laterally from the planar member andadapted to be received in said notch when said member is placed betweenthe frame and the door, said member having a pair of slots thereindisposed in diverging relationship to a horizontal plane passing throughsaid structure when the latter is received in the notch, said memberincluding a divider element lying in said horizontal plane forseparating said slots one from the other; each of said slots having atleast one edge thereof configured to present a plurality of seats alongthe edge of the slot; and keeper means adapted to be received in one ofsaid slots when said member is disposed between the door and the framewith the keeper means received in the seat adjacent the door wherebysaid keeper means presents a dead bolt lock to preclude opening of thedoor.
 2. The invention of claim 1, wherein said member includes achamfer generally perpendicular to said horizontal plane at the end ofthe member opposite said structure, said chamfer presenting a cammingsurface for the door latch prior to the latter being received in saidnotch.
 3. The invention of claim 2, wherein is included means forpermanently mounting said member on said frame with said structuredisposed in said notch.
 4. The invention of claim 3, wherein each ofsaid slots is a mirror image of the other slot whereby the apparatus canbe utilized with either right or left-hand opening doors by rotatingsaid member 180* and placing said keeper means in the opposite slot. 5.The invention of claim 1, said apparatus being adapted for use with adoor frame having a housing complemental to said notch and secured by apair of fasteners passing therethrough, said member comprising: a pairof arms adapted to be disposed on either side of said notch, with anopening in each arm for placement of one of said fasteners, whereby saidhousing can be removed and replaced with said member mounted on saidframe.